This friday someone came to me and he wanted to be teached to MC on DnB, but he has got no experience or so, he just wants to try it.
Can anyone help me (and him) out and give some tips in how to teach someone to MC (and if it is possible to teach it)?

It's all a mather of rythm indeed, combined with a lot of writing/exercising on content/flow. It ain't just screamin' slogans you know...

This ain't meant as an offence, but nowadays a lot of people want to be/becom a jungle mc. Most of them just wanna jump into it like a quicky... So first spend some time at the drawing board before steppin' on a stage.

I started writing rhymes back in 1995 over basic hip hop beats. I always tried to keep an open mind towards beats and experimented with lots of musial styles (even punky stuff). Only in the year 2000 I got a chance to perform with some drum n bass dj's, who just started up BreakZ.be... So mainly: I had a some lyrical back ground to start with. Still it took me a lot of writing/jamming/swet to fully addapt to modern drum 'n bass...

If you really want it; just start at the basics; start writing... start flowing over beats... try different kinda flows... freestylin' in you head when walkin' the streets... takin' notes of punch lines poppin' in to your mind... try to find a dj to jam with... learn how to use your voice and build up some breath controle (often underestimated)...listen + read a lot of rhymes (bouth hip hop as dnb)... get a hold of "rhyme" and how to use it in different ways... Never copy other mc's...listen, acknoledge, but ALWAYS create your own style; no mather what they say; set your goals, work towards 'm and never stop to upgrade/innovate your very own style...

d

__www.dedkob.com

This post has been edited 2 time(s), it was last edited by Mc D.O.C.: 08-10-2003 18:36.

+ a bit of history on one of the greatest jungle mc's ever touching the mic. Cause research on facts is always part of the first steps ; )

"Stevie Hyper D - The legend lives on.

Words: Lee Henaghan

In August 1998 the drum & bass community was shaken to its foundations by the tragic news that one of its most prominent and promising stars had suddenly passed away. The loss of Stevie Hyper D remains one of the most shocking moments in jungle's brief history and anyone who was around at the time won't need reminding of the general feeling of denial and disbelief that most junglists felt on hearing the news. In any underground scene, rumours are constantly doing the rounds - and in a time before internet discussion forums and mainstream drum & bass coverage became commonplace, many simply refused to accept the word on the street and dismissed the stories as nothing more than idle gossip.

Of course, the brief period of denial was brought to an abrupt end by Friday evening. Raves and clubs up and down the country echoed with the sounds of MCs paying their respects and dancefloors were a sea of lighters as the scene united in grief. Stevie had spent the past decade establishing himself as a permanent fixture on the rave circuit and the name Hyper D had become almost synonymous with live drum and bass events. To suddenly have to adapt to a scene without the presence of one of its biggest stars was a huge adjustment and for a while things just didn't seem the same.

To understand exactly what Stevie meant to jungle, you only have to look at what he achieved in his short but revolutionary career. Todays mile-a-minute motormouth MCs owe a debt of gratitude to the man simply for his groundbreaking originality on the mic. The 'double time' style of MCing used by almost every lyricist today was literally developed and pioneered by Hyper D and it's a testament to the man that his style is still being emulated five years after his death. That's not to say that modern MCs lack originality, simply that Stevie managed to redefine the role of drum & bass MC both lyrically, and in raising the image and status of jungle lyricists within the industry.

Pre Hyper-D, the typical MC fit a very different description to what we've come to expect today. Added almost as an afterthought to early rave and acid house parties, they served only to offer brief and basic vocal support for the DJ, and as for lyrics - well, lets just say that they weren't exactly rivalling Eminem for clever wordplay and metaphor. Most relied more on enthusiasm than any real talent to succeed and were often content to perform for little or no payment at all. When Stevie began to emerge in the early 90's, he instantly stood out not only for his distinctive lyrical style and ability, but his overall professionalism and stage presence. Suddenly, here was an MC who went beyond the simple two or three line rhymes used by others and could happily chat skilfully for minutes on end. Obviously, the new kid on the block forced others to raise their games and gradually, the MCs began to get more and more attention. By the time the fledgling jungle scene broke away from its hardcore roots in 1994, the once humble mic controllers were emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

The fact that Hyper D's rise to fame coincided almost exactly with that of the drum & bass scene itself is no accident. By establishing himself as a major player in the early days, he ensured he was perfectly placed to ride the tidal wave of success that followed and it's difficult to find a flyer from the mid 90's without Stevie's name on the lineup. Notorious for his hard working attitude, he set about building up a significant fanbase through frequent bookings up and down the country and now legendary resedencies on Kool FM and other pirate stations. The latest Hyper D mixtape became hot property and Stevie rapidly established himself as the scene's first lyrical superstar. For the first time, ravers were checking the MC lineups as well the DJ talent when deciding what to do with their weekends, and promoters who were previously content to book one or two MCs for their events became eager to get as many big names on board as possible.

The main thing that made Hyper D stand out from the crowd in those early days was undoubtedly his sheer versatility on the microphone. Whilst other MCs limited themselves to simple, stereotypical templates, Stevie drew on a wide range of influences to ensure his lyrics always sounded distinctive and fresh. Combining elements of hip hop, dancehall, r&b and reggae, he gave himself an advantage over the competition by having the ability to switch up his style at any given moment. At a time when drum & bass was beginning to become far more varied and diverse than the early bedroom produced tunes, this immediately set Stevie Hyper D apart from the rapidly expanding MC scene.

Of course, there were plenty of other MCs putting in hard work back in the day and many have gone on to enjoy considerable success today - but it's fair to say that throughout his career Stevie stood out from the crowd and was widely regarded as number one not only by the public, but by his peers in the MC community. Ask any lyricist on the circuit today and
they'll cite Hyper D as a major influence or inspiration. Even in todays current climate, with MCs coming in for more criticism from certain areas of the scene, it's almost unheard of to hear anything other than positive comments when the subject of Stevie Hyper D is brought up.

The real tragedy about the timing of Stevie's death was that he was literally on the verge of true recognition. I was lucky enough to interview him for Eternity magazine in 1997, and his enthusiasm about his debut album was enough to convince anyone that he was destined for even greater things. The drum & bass scene has lost soldiers before, most notably the likes of Kemistry and GE Real, but arguably none has been as high profile and heartfelt as the loss of Stevie. The queues round the block at the recent Hyper D memorial event at the Coronet, and the imminent Different Levels remix project just serve to illustrate that even though Stevie might be absent from rave lineups these days, his memory and legacy lives on and he remains as popular as ever.
"

Good stuff to know/read, but I don t like the rules as formulated in the above>

1 no person but the `interaction` is the star; just like if I play out with Gamorah Sound; 4 persons, one flow;

2 was absolutely right

3 Mixes need to breed, but can be enforced by placement of tiny bits of rhyme or words> if the dj`s get this, they even stress up the words by taking out the music during the mix up

4 Not exacly. most heavy new tunes I hear on stage, for the first time; they give me that little bit extra; like when someting new really smacks in; I don t have to know it at all; I got nuts on it and bust a freestyle. Cose thats the feeling what you re talking about all night as an mc...

As a native English-speaker, who's heard some erm, interesting uses of the language, I think good mastery of the language you chat in is very important!

something which I have learned from the (sadly) little known MC stoneman is to put a message from your heart into your lyrics...

lyrics can teach, change people's minds, defend important issues like the environment and human rights... it ain't just all about partying!

also, some peeps here underestimate the lyrical skills of MCs like skibadee - every single word he puts in makes sense and has a message! wow!!

also, i *really* like MCs who can also sing - like Cleveland Watkiss. And to do that, there is nothing better than taking some singing lessons, learning breath control, understanding musical theory and all that...

also listening to lots of other mcs helps! for girls, sometimes its hard to find good ones (unless you wanna sound like Lil Kim... which I don't!)

also, some peeps here underestimate the lyrical skills of MCs like skibadee - every single word he puts in makes sense and has a message! wow!!

Skibadee is a great lyricist, but as an mc there`s way more you got to deal with; you got to stay in touch with the crowd +you got to let the music breed. And that`s where Skibba went wrong I think;
-blingbling creates a gab between the crowd and the `suppa star `. Check out Foxy; mostley mc-ing in the crowd in a normal outfit, no bling bling; nah that`s the way we like it the most!
-he never shuts up; Now like I claimed before; you don t got to stay out of the mixes all the time, but he goes on and on and on; even if there`s vocals on the tunes; to much is to much; let the music breed please...

+ Meaning in every word? I doubt it; he even makes up words that don`t excist; He freestyles in double time using his lyrics from back in 1998, pasting his lines in random order; and believe me; half of the time there ain t no meaning behind the rhymes;

Don t get me wrong; he did the most innovating rhymin` in dnb mc-ing + I myself also tend to bust of bullshit while freestylin'; but you can t forget your connection to the crowd + it s always important to innovate and improve yourself non stop;;;

__www.dedkob.com

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by Mc D.O.C.: 12-12-2003 14:50.

totally agree with you that the bling is lame... it does distance the mcs, i guess some people wanna feel it's just another raver but with a bigger voice!

on the other hand, i like dressing up when it's taken to ridiculous extremes like george clinton and the p-funk guys in the 70s, they looked wikkid!

i used to think skibba was making up words, then I listened closely and he was not always making 'em up, just saying some sense but very very fast... he also uses a *lot* of random slang... every time i go back to london there's a new words especially coming out of the garage scene at the moment, spilling over into d&b.

the funniest flow i ever heard was from an mc on a one nation tape from back in 1995 (never found out who it was though) making rhymes about football matches - including loadsa names of italian footballers and stuff, i giggled soooo much!

also don't ya think it's normal to cut and paste old lyrics in a freestyle? that's part of improvisation from jazz and from indian music for instance... even freestyles from big hiphop MCs will take a bit of old lyrics and mix 'em up!

got any tips on other mcs to check out?? i'm always looking for new inspiration...

You're right about the slang and droppin' words very fast so they get twisted... but believe me; it ain't always sense!

On the freestylin' part you're absolutely right; but if I freestyle myself (not to talk about myself as mc perfect, I'm far from being that!), the topics/words in freestyles seem to differ from week to week... so I guess If you're a fulltime mc, and you can focus on your rhymes, you should be able to expand and improve your flows 'nd rhymes on a regular basis. For example: take mc Foxy; he still doe his "Do you want a revolutioooooooooon?"-verse on almost every set he plays, but on the other hand; check what he's been doin' over the past 9 years; it evolves, it changes,... You can even spot changes in sets with only a week between 'm. That's my point on Skibadee; Superb Lyricism, but to much of the same... + the double time stuff ain't the best way to communicate with ravers. It's the best to hype 'm up after a heavy drop, but if you want ravers to understand what you're sayin', so tjhey can relate to it... you also have to come up with slower rhymes sometimes...

On the fashion part; dressing up extreem ain't the same as bling bling; bling bling, to me, is and overload of cash-related clothes and gadgets; clothes with big chi-chi-brands on 'm, golden chains 'n rings... A way of showing off how rich you are, or givin' an impression of being rich;;;

There's a shitload of mc's out there you gots to check; a little selection of my personal favorites; Foxy, Sp, Stevie Hyper D (also check his album; the next step), Freestyle, Conrad, Fearless, Dynamite, Dapper(nl), Eksman, Ricky D (B), Jay(nl), Rage, Verse,... must be lots more, but gonna stick to these... maybe I'll edit some later

__www.dedkob.com

This post has been edited 1 time(s), it was last edited by Mc D.O.C.: 21-12-2003 09:37.